


He Ain't Much, Trouble

by clgfanfic



Category: Alias Smith and Jones, Bonanza
Genre: Gen, Kid Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-10-28
Updated: 2012-10-28
Packaged: 2017-11-17 06:26:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,419
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/548593
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/clgfanfic/pseuds/clgfanfic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Heyes and the Kid end up with a dog.</p>
            </blockquote>





	He Ain't Much, Trouble

**Author's Note:**

> Originally published in the zine Just You, Me and the Governor #10 under the pen name Laura Cathcart. Guest appearance by the folks from Bonanza.

          The day dawned bright and sunny.  Hannibal Heyes rolled over, trying to find a haven from the pesky sunlight that danced across his eyelids.  The light was insistent.  The young man groaned and rolled onto his back.

          "I'm hungry."

          Heyes looked over at his cousin.  "Kid, you're _always_ hungry."

          The boy grinned.  "Yup, I am."  He sat up on his bedroll, crossing his legs and leaning forward.  "So what are you doin' to do about that?"

          Heyes' eyes dropped closed as he decided that thirteen year old boys were bottomless wells of hunger.  When his own stomach growled Hannibal sat up and squinted at Jed.  "I don't know," he said, quickly adding, "Yet."

          The two teenagers rolled up their bedrolls and packed their saddlebags.  As Heyes tossed his bag over his shoulder, wishing he had a horse to put the saddlebags on.  He wished he had a horse so they wouldn't have to walk, so the holes in the soles of his shoes wouldn't get any bigger.

          "Where're we goin'?" Jed asked.

          Heyes shrugged.  "Wherever we find next."

          "Hope we can find some food."

          "Me, too."

 

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

 

          It was mid-morning before Heyes and Curry found the next tiny town in the California foothills.  It was just a collection of wood shanties, nothing permanent except a saloon standing along the muddy street.

          "Don't look like much," Hannibal mumbled to his cousin.

          Jed shook his head.

          Looking around, Heyes decided the town was a newly founded mining community, but there was also a small group of railroad workers present, Chinese from the looks of them.  They were collected around several wagons at the far end of the street.  Together the two teens made their way down to almost join the foreigners.

          Several children played at the rear of one wagon.  A few women worked nearby, cooking in three large pots hanging over low-burning fires.  Heyes heard his stomach growl when he caught a whiff of the pots' contents.

          "Whatdaya think's in there?" Jed asked.

          Heyes shrugged and shook his head.

          "Hey!  Hey, you."

          The two boy stopped, looking around to see if they were being hailed.  A young Chinese boy jogged up to them.  "Hey, you," he said.  "You look hungry."

          Jed nodded, but Hannibal played it cool.  "I guess," he said.  "That smells pretty good."

          "Yes," the Chinese boy nodded.  "Very good.  You try?"

          "You bet," Jed said, taking a step closer to the pots.

          "Wait, Jed," Hannibal said, reaching out to grab his cousin's arm.  "We don't know if we can afford it."

          "No afford," the boy said with a broad smile.  "I make you deal."

          "A deal?" Hannibal asked.  "What kind o' deal?"

          The boy motioned for Heyes and Curry to follow him.  They did.

          At the back of one ramshackle building sat an old wagon.  In the back an unusual-looking medium-sized black dog stood.  It barked and fluttered its curly tail at the boy.

          "This is Flower Dragon," the boy said proudly.  "She is good dog."

          The black dog fluttered her tail again.

          Heyes' eyebrows dipped over the bridge of his nose.  The animal's shiny black coat was as thick as any he'd seen on a dog, and it was almost summer.  And her tongue was black!  "Is she sick?" he asked.

          "Sick?" the boy echoed.  He shook his head.  "No.  Flower Dragon no sick."

          "But her tongue's black," Hannibal persisted.

          The boy smiled broadly.  "She is Chow Chow.  Chinese dog.  Most revered.  The Emperor uses dogs like Flower Dragon to hunt lions."

          "She kind 'a looks like a black lion, don't she, Heyes?" Jed asked, reaching out to pet the dog's furry ruff.  Flower Dragon endured the petting, but shifted away slightly.  Jed glanced into the wagon.  "Hey, she's got pups!"

          The Chinese boy nodded furiously.  "Yes, many babies.  You like?"

          Jed grinned, reaching in to scoop up one of the puppies.  He was nothing more than a ball of light brown fur, a little black here and there telling then that the father was not a Chow Chow.

          "You like?" the boy asked a second time.

          "Sure," Jed said, cuddling the dog to his chin.

          Hannibal's eyes dropped closed.  He'd been too slow, the trap had already been sprung.

          "Make you deal," the boy continued.  "You like?  You take baby, I give you soup."

          Heyes looked dubious.  "Let me get this straight.  You're going to _give_ us that puppy, _and_ some food?"

          The boy nodded.  "Yes.  You take baby, I give you soup.  Very good soup."

          Jed looked hopefully to his cousin.  "Sounds like a deal we can't pass up, don't it?"

          Hannibal wanted to say no, but the pup was cute, and it was clear that Jed had already taken a shine to him.  "I guess…"

          "Great!"  Jed hooted.  "We'll take him!"

          "He is not much, Trouble," the boy said, reaching out to pet the pup.

          Flower Dragon whined, but seemed happy with the family fate had given her son.  She fluttered her tail and panted happily as the two cousins carried the puppy off, following the boy back toward the cooking pots.

 

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

 

          Their bellies full, Hannibal and Jed headed out of town, the ten week old puppy gallumphing along behind them.

          "Whatdaya think we outta name him?" Jed asked.

          "Don't know," Heyes replied.

          "Me either," Jed said.  "Guess he'll get one by-and-by."

          "Yep," Hannibal agreed, watching the small bundle of fur veer off and head down toward a small stream that paralleled the trail.  "Where's he goin'?"

          Jed glanced at the dog, then followed without hesitation, disappearing into the tangled undergrowth.

          "Hey!"

          "He might get lost, he—"  Jed fell silent for a moment, then there was a sharp "Ouch!  Daggummit!"

          "Jed?" Hannibal called.  "You okay?"

          "Yeah," was the languished reply.

          "You get him?"

          "Yeah."  Jed emerged, his face marked with several short scratches.  "But there's a bunch of brambles down there."

          "Next time, let him find his own way back."

          The younger boy looked hurt.  "That's mean.  He's just a puppy."  The plump ball of fluff in Jed's arms wiggled and grunted.

          "Come on," Hannibal said.  "We're not gonna make it to the next town at the rate we're goin'."

          "That's okay," Jed said.  "The weather's holdin' out real nice.  I don't mind sleepin' out here."

          "You might not, but I'd rather find a town so maybe we can get something to eat."

          "Oh, yeah."  Jed looked thoughtful.  "I'll just carry 'im them."

          "Good idea," Hannibal said, wondering the Chinese boy's comment about the pup:  "He is not much trouble."

 

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

 

          About mid-afternoon, the pair and their new companion passed by a large ranch.  Several whitewashed corrals held horses and cattle.  Further back from the road sat a large white house.

          "Whoooeee," Jed said.  "Whoever lives there must be rich!"

          "Yep," Hannibal replied.  "And they probably don't have any time for the likes of us."

          Jed kicked a dirt clod with the tip of his shoe, sending it flying.  The puppy chased after it.  "Guess not.  Too bad, though.  I betcha they got lots of food up there."

          Hannibal shook his head and kept walking.  "Kid, all you ever think about is food."

          "That's because I'm always hungry."

          "Where's the dog?"

          Jed looked around.  "Oh-oh…"

          Heyes looked, too.  The pup was busily attacking a small plant just inside one of the corrals.  Not too far away a large bull watched, his tail swishing impatiently.

          Hannibal and Jed walked slowly to the fence.  "Come here, fella," Jed called, but the puppy remained steadfastly engrossed in his attach.

          He barked sharply and the bull snorted and shook his massive horns.

          "Great," Heyes breathed.  "Now what?"

          "I'll…  I'll go get him," Jed said quietly.

          "Are you crazy?  That bull'll kill you."

          "No, he won't.  I'm faster."

          "Jed—"  Before he could talk his cousin out of it, Curry dipped under the board and stepped into the corral.  "Be careful," he said.

          Jed inched forward.  The pup looked up and fluttered its tiny tail, then turned and galloped off along the fence.  "Hey!  Hey, come back here."

          The bull stomped a front foot and took several steps toward Jed.  The boy's blue eyes widened.  "Whoa, now.  It's okay.  I just come for my pup over there.  I'm just going to get him, then I'll go."

          "Stop talkin' to that bull and get the dog," Heyes whispered hotly from behind the fence.

          "I'm tryin'," Jed replied as quietly as he could.  "But that bull's gettin' riled."

          "Squat down, maybe the pup will come up to you."

          Jed squatted down and tapped his shoe.  The black and tan fur-ball stopped, his head titling to one side.  He yapped and pounced forward, landing on Curry's shoe.

          The bull, deciding he'd been bothered just long enough snorted again and trotted forward.  Jed scooped the puppy up and bolted for the fence.  He could feel a hot puff of air from the bull's nostrils on his back as he scrambled under the boards.

          "Hey!  What are you boys doin'?" someone yelled.  "Get the hell away from there!"

          Hannibal and Jed sprinted away from the corral, disappearing into a stand of trees and dropping into the undergrowth to hide.  No one bothered to follow them.

          Hannibal glanced down at the dog, who was now content to rest on Jed's arm and go to sleep.  "He's more trouble than he's worth."

          "Ahh, that's not so.  He was just explorin'," Jed countered.  "Like we are."

          "We're tryin' not to starve," Hannibal corrected.  "We can't keep him."

          The blue eyes rounded, then narrowed into obstante slits.  "Why not?  He'll grow up in a couple of months.  He'll be fine then."

          "Jed, in a couple of months it'll be gettin' on to fall.  We're gonna have to find us a place to hole up for the winter or we'll freeze for sure.  How're we gonna do that with a pup in tow?"

          Jed stroked the pup's back, watching his feet twitch while he slept.  "Somebody'll take us in.  And they'll take the pup, too," he said softly, but firmly.  "I ain't givin' him up."

          "Okay," Heyes sighed.  "But he's you're responsibility."

          "Fine."

          "You know, I think I know what his name is."

          "Oh?"  ed questioned suspiciously.

          "Yep.  It's Trouble.  That's what that kids was tryin' to tell us.  He ain't much, Trouble."

          Curry looked clueless.

          "He ain't much, except trouble."

          "He ain't _that_ much trouble, Heyes."

          Hannibal softened.  He couldn't tell Jed, but he liked the little fella, too.  "I guess.  Come on, let's go."

 

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

 

          The two boys walked along the wooden boardwalk.  Now and then a passerby would smile down at them and the puppy that trailed them.  They had almost reached the saloon when three men exited, blocking their way.

          The biggest looked down at the dogs and their dog.  "Say, that's mighty strange lookin' dog."

          Jed nodded.  Trouble was a little unusual, and the older he got, the more unusual he looked.  He had his mother's furry mane, and her curved tail, but his color made him look more like a wolf.  "He's part Chow Chow and somethin' else."

          "Chow Chow?" the youngest of the three men asked.  "What kind of dog is that?"

          The eldest shook his head.  "If I don't miss my guess, I'd say that's a Chinese breed.  I seem to recall Hop Sing talking about them."

          Hannibal nodded.  "He's Chinese all right.  We got him from a kid followin' a railroad crew.  He said they used 'em in China to hunt lions."

          "Lions?" the big man said, his eyes growing large.  "Why, he's too puny to be hunting lions."

          "How would you know, Hoss?" the youngest teased.  "You've never even seen a lion."

          "I know they're bigger than a mountain lion, little brother."

          "Boys," the eldest said, silencing the pair, and Hannibal guessed he was the pair's father.  "So, you two look like you're traveling."

          "Yep," Hannibal said.  "We're lookin' for jobs."

          "Jobs?" the younger man asked.  "What can you do?"

          Hannibal pulled himself up, squaring his shoulders.  "We can do a lot of things.  We can chop wood, herd cows, clean barns—"

          "We can do lots," Jed added for emphasis.

          "I see," the father replied, a smile tickling his lips.  "Well, boys, my name's Ben Cartwright, and these are my sons, Hoss and Little Joe.  What would say if I offered the two of you a job?"

          "Can Trouble come, too?" Jed asked.  "Because, he's with us."

          Ben nodded thoughtfully.  "I see.  Well…"

          "He's really not all that much trouble," Hannibal rushed to explain.  "We just call him that."

          "I suppose we could do with a watch dog while you're working," Ben agreed. "The only thing is, we don't live around here."

          "Where do you live?" Hannibal asked, trying to sound like a man striking a deal.

          "Up by Virginia City," Little Joe explained, pushing his hat back to reveal a handsome, if somewhat playful face.  "Nevada."

          Heyes nodded like he knew where that was.  "Sounds fine.  How long will this job last?"

          "What do we get paid?" Jed added.

          "Well, now, let's see," Ben said, rubbing his chin.  "I'd say we could use the extra hands until… oh…"

          "Spring," Hoss said.  "Right, Pa?"

          Ben nodded.  "Yes, yes, I think spring's about right.  And as for your pay.  The job'll get you room and board… and twenty-five cents a day."

          "Each?" Hannibal asked.  "After all, we got us an extra mouth to feed."

          Ben glanced at the pup who was sprawled out on the boardwalk, panting.  "And it's a good sized mouth it is, too."

          "Gettin' bigger every day," Hannibal added.

          "All right, twenty-five cents a day, for both of you."

          Heyes stuck out his hand.  "Deal."

          Ben shook it.  "Glad to hear it.  Now, why don't you go with Hoss.  He's going to get our horses and wagon so we can load up at the general store."

          "Sure," Heyes said.  "Come on, Kid."

          Hannibal and Jed trailed after the big man, Trouble at their heels.

          "This'll be perfect," Jed said softly with a grin.  "But where's Nevada?"

          Hannibal shrugged.  "East of here someplace.  It don't matter, we got us a place to hole up for the winter, then we can move on."

          "They seem like real nice folks."

          Heyes nodded.  "Maybe we can talk Mr. Cartwright up to thirty cents a day on the ride there."  He glanced over his shoulder, realizing that Ben and Little Joe were still watching him and Jed.  They seemed amused for some reason.  He glanced down at Trouble.  It must be the pup…

 The End


End file.
